2 Charged In Kidnapping, Killing Of Fort Drum Soldier: Prosecutor

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ — A soldier and a teenager have been charged in connection with the killing and kidnapping of Cpl. Hayden Harris, according to Sussex County Prosecutor Francis A. Koch.

In addition to murder and kidnapping charges, Specialist Jamaal Mellish, 23, of Brooklyn, NY and a 16-year-old male have been charged with possession of a handgun without a permit and possession of a firearm with the purpose to use it unlawfully.

Mellish has also been charged with trying to destroy evidence from the crime, the prosecutor said.

The body of Harris was discovered Dec. 19 around 3:15 p.m. by officers with the Byram Township Police Department in a wooded area adjacent to 30 Ross Rd. in Byram Township. He had been shot to death and his body buried under snow.

SEE ALSO:

• Missing Fort Drum Soldier Found Dead In North Jersey Woods

Police said it was Byram Township firefighters who initially found his body after they saw debris and blood along a roadway during an annual Santa ride.

"We are devastated," said Brigadier General Brett Funck, Acting Senior Commander, Fort Drum & the 10th Mountain Division. "It was well known here that Corporal Harris was a great soldier, and as we share our grief with his friends and family, I hear again and again how he was also - and most importantly - a really wonderful, caring person. His death is a tremendous loss for his loved ones, this division and our nation."

Prior to his death, Harris, 20, an infantryman from 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, went to meet Mellish, 23, for "some type of vehicle exchange," prosecutors said.

Byram Township police said Mellish was supposed to exchange a Ford Mustang with Harris for a Chevy pickup truck.

According to prosecutors, Mellish is currently being held in military custody under pretrial confinement in Oneida County, NY. The teen suspect is currently in custody in a juvenile detention facility.

Harris, of Guys, TN, joined the U.S. Army in March 2019. After training at Fort Benning, GA, he arrived to Fort Drum, NY in July 2019. He is survived by his mother, father and sister.

He was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal and awarded the Army Commendation Medal, an honor given to members of the Armed Forces for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service.

While two people have been charged in connection with Harris' death, prosecutors said the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Nicholas Elmo at the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office 973-383-1570 or Det. Robert Tierney at the Byram Township Police Department at 973-347-4008.

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